March 30, 2011
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
WHAT'S ON TAP THIS WEEKEND IN AZTEC BASEBALL
San Diego State will take a break from Mountain West Conference play with three non-league games at home this weekend. On Friday (April 1), San Diego State will open a three-game series against Oral Roberts with a contest scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. (PT) start. The Aztecs and Golden Eagles will meet again on Saturday (April 2) at 6:00 p.m. with the series finale slated for Sunday (April 3) at 1:00 p.m.
SERIES RECORD
San Diego State's all-time record against Oral Roberts stands at 5-4 in the series that began back in 1981. The teams have not met since 2003 when the Golden Eagles captured an 11-3 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs are 3-1 against the ORU in San Diego, 1-2 in Tulsa and 1-1 at neutral sites.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oral Roberts' record stands at 8-10 it dropped a close 2-1 decision at eight-ranked at Texas on Tuesday (March 29). ORU is led offensively by outfielders Nick Baligod (.324, 6 doubles, 10 RBI), Sepncer Barnett (.311, 5 doubles, 7 RBI) and Chris Elder (.301, 8 doubles, 13 RBI). Top hurlers include starters Alex Gomez (2-3, 3.75) and Bryce Smolen (2-2, 4.76). The Golden Eagles are hitting .252 as a team with a 3.91 earned run average.
TORRES AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games Jomel Torres has gone 8-for-15 (.533) with four doubles, two home runs, six runs scored and three runs batted in. He also walked seven times and was hit by pitch for an on-base percentage of .695 in those five contests. He had a single, double and home run with three RBI and two runs scored in the win over CSU Northridge on Tuesday.
VASKO IMPRESSES
Junior Ben Vasko made just his second start at catcher on Tuesday (March 29) vs. Cal State Northridge. He responded with a single, double and home run along with four runs batted in. The extra-base hits were both the first of his Aztec career. He came into the contest having made just seven plate appearances with one hit in five official at bats.
WILSON HITTING STREAK ENDS
Chris Wilson's 15-game hitting streak came to an end when he went 0-for-4 with a walk in the win over CSU Northridge on Tuesday. The streak was the longest by an Aztec this season. During his streak he hit .363 with seven doubles, a triple, two home runs and 14 runs batted in. By reaching base on a walk on Tuesday, Wilson continued a streak of having reached safely (via hit, walk of hit by pitch) in 16 straight games, a team season best.
SWANSON GETS FIRST WIN
Left-hander Cole Swanson recorded his first career win in SDSU's victory over BYU in the series finale on Saturday (March 26). In that game he went nine innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. The eight K's tied his SDSU career best. SDSU won the contest with three runs in the top of the 10th and Swanson was credited with the win to even his record at 1-1.
SMITH STREAKING
Freshman outfielder Cody Smith had an eight-game hitting streak end during Tuesday's game vs. CSU Northridge. Over those eight contests he is hit .357 (10-for-28) with two doubles, a triple, three runs and three RBI. He leads the Aztecs with five stolen bases in five attempts.
WYNVEEN SAVES
Senior left-hander Ryan Wynveen picked up his first save of the season in the series finale at Brigham Young on March 26. In that contest, he pitched the bottom of the 10th inning, allowing an unearned run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts. In his last four relief appearances covering seven innings, he has given up one earned run on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
CRABB REGAINING FORM
Sophomore pitcher Bryan Crabb has turned in back-to-back stellar relief outings in game vs. UC Riverside and CSU Northridge. On Tuesday vs. CSUN, he took the mound in the bottom of the third with two out and the bases loaded, retiring the first batter he faced to end the threat. He then pitched four more perfect innings, as he would retire all 13 batters he faced to record his first win of the year. In his last two outings he has allowed no runs on one hit with two walks and seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
AZTEC NOTES
The Aztecs are 5-3 in their last eight games ... After six conference contests, SDSU is hitting .296 with a 4.42 ERA ... Mitch Bluman recorded his first hit (a single to center field) as an Aztec in the win over CSU Northridge on Tuesday (March 29) ... San Diego State has a record of 2-0 in one-run games this season and is 1-1 in extra-inning contests ... SDSU's most productive innings on offense has been the fifth when it has scored 18 runs. Conversely, the Aztecs have put only five runs in the ninth frame ... SDSU pinch hitters are 5-for-28 (.179) with one of those hits being the home run by Denny Vigo in the season opener. Opposing pinch hitters are 2-for-16 (.125) ... Two of SDSU's five pinch hits this season have been solo home runs (Denny Vigo and Brad Haynal) ...Senior Craig Rasmussen has picked off four runners, equaling his season best in that category set in 2009.